New York MMA rally a success; Overeem, Shamrock, LaRosa stump for legislation

http://mmajunkie.comA small but vocal contingent of New Yorkers is getting out the word about MMA in the Empire State.

The Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York today held a rally to educate the public on the sport and attract mainstream media to the plight of fans who want to see MMA legalized.

The rally, held on the steps of assembly speaker Sheldon Silver’s office in Lower Manhattan, drew veteran fighters Frank Shamrock and Tara LaRosa, as well as Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

“It was an awesome turnout for our first rally, and also for a cold day,” Coalition founder Stephen Koepfer today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Keopfer said the gathering attracted several local media affiliates, though assembly member Silver, a Democrat often characterized as an opponent of the legalization movement, was in Albany for the New York assembly’s 2011 legislative session.

However, the aim of the rally was not to confront local leaders about MMA.

“The goal was to begin to correct the record in the eyes of the public, in terms of the negative propaganda that’s been put out there about mixed martial arts,” Keopfer said.

In that, Keopfer said the rally was a success. But the Coalition’s efforts to educate still have a long way to go.

“There were people passing on the street that didn’t even know MMA was illegal,” Keopfer said.

The push to legalize suffered a moderate setback this past week when recently elected governor Andrew Cuomo did not include language to legalize MMA in his 2011-2012 budget proposal. The state’s previous governor, David Paterson, included such language in his 2010-2011 proposal before it was removed, as one legislator told MMAjunkie.com, because of “strongly divided opinions” on the sport.

The UFC held a rally this past month at storied sports venue Madison Square Garden to announce the results of a self-funded economic impact study that claimed two UFC events could generate $23 million in spending for the Empire State.

UFC president Dana White said feedback on the promotion’s current lobbying efforts has been “all positive.” But he said he no longer will issue any predictions on when the sport will get legalized.

“New York is just such a crazy place to navigate politically,” he said. “We all know it’s ridiculous that this thing isn’t sanctioned in New York.”

The Coalition was founded this past November and is comprised of industry insiders, promoters, journalists and martial-arts teachers based in New York. The group plans to hold more events later this year.